Dr. Francisco De Balmis and His Mission of Mercy
By Willie T. Ong, MD, MPH  On February 5, 1805, Dr. Francisco Xavier De Balmis took along 25 Mexican children and embarked on a dangerous voyage from Acapulco to Manila, carrying with them the vaccine for smallpox. Using the orphan children as living repositories for the vaccine, Dr. Balmis reached the port of Manila on April 15, 1805.
From this seminal beginning, we can better appreciate the WHO declaration of a world free of smallpox in 1980. Commemoration of the 199th Year Since the Mexico Expedition Through the initiative of the Embassy of Mexico and the Department of Health, this special relationship between Mexico and the Philippines will be highlighted at the unveiling of the bust of Dr. Francisco De Balmis at the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) compound on February 5, 2004. The Inter-Agency Committee for this event is headed by Dir. Remedios Paulino (chair), RITM Director Remigio Olveda (co-chair) and Mexican Embassy Deputy Chief Carlos Angel Torres (vice-chair). Discovery of the Smallpox Vaccine  Edward Jenner describes smallpox as the “severest scourge known to humanity.” In Europe, in the late 18th century, an average of 400,000 people died yearly from smallpox. Through hard work and persistence, Jenner had discovered a means to prevent smallpox by injecting the exudates from a cowpox pustule to the arm of eight-year old James Phipps on May 14, 1796. Jenner’s vaccine led to much debate, but his discovery was later accepted by the medical community.
 A few years after this breakthrough, the King of Spain’s son died from smallpox, and the King swore to help rid the world of smallpox using the method discovered by Jenner. Thus, on September 1, 1803, King Charles IV issued a royal order for an ambitious vaccination expedition to Spain’s colonies. King Charles appointed Dr. Francisco De Balmis and Dr. Jose Salvany to lead this mission of mercy.
The Balmis Expedition  On November 30, 1803, Balmis and his associates left the Spanish harbor of La Coruna and travelled to Puerto Rico and Venezuela, vaccinating thousands of people along the way. Reaching Venezuela, they divided into two groups. First, Dr. Salvany journeyed to various countries in South America, where the rigors of travel and work took its toll and Salvany died at 34 years of age.
 Fortunately, Dr. Balmis travelled to Mexico, Central America and the Philippines. In Mexico, Dr. Balmis took 25 orphan children, ages 4 to 6, from the provinces of Morelia, Guadalajara, Queretaro, Zacatecas, Fresnillo, and Sombrerete and set sail on February 5, 1805.
Why were the Mexican kids so crucial to the trip? We must remember that in those times, there were no ice plants yet to preserve the vaccine, nor were there airplanes for quick transport. Thus, the smallpox vaccine had to be kept alive by arm-to-arm vaccination from one child to another. Each child would be a repository for the vaccine for around 10 days. After which, an extract from the child’s arm lesion (lymphatic fluid) was cut into next child, and so forth. Balmis vaccinated two kids at a time for safety, just in case something terrible happened to one. Thus, by computation, 25 kids could carry the vaccine for a 3 to 4 month trip, if all went well. Dr. Balmis Arrives in Manila As fate would have it, just two months later, Balmis and the children successfully arrived in Manila with much fanfare and rejoicing. Quickly, Balmis guided the Spanish authorities in Manila on how to perpetuate the vaccine. Balmis wrote with much foresight that the goals were (1) to spread the benefit of vaccination and (2) to assure its perpetuation. Balmis said Manila was the ideal site for a Central Board of Vaccination to coordinate a nationwide vaccination campaign. Did Balmis’ Efforts Succeed? Probably, yes. By 1806, a smallpox institute and vaccination board were established in Manila. Two years later, immunizations were already being administered in the provinces. In 1850, borrowing a new technique perfected in Italy, local authorities set up a vaccine farm using carabao calves. Thereafter, detailed regulations regarding smallpox vaccination were issued in 1851, 1873, and 1893. But despite these efforts, smallpox epidemics still occurred, most prominently in 1886. When the Americans arrived in 1898, one of their first efforts was to build the Bureau of Science, where smallpox vaccines and other vaccines were produced in large quantities. By 1905, rigid and systematic efforts on vaccination were enforced. The last serious smallpox epidemic occurred in 1918. And by the time the Americans left in the 1940s, smallpox had ceased to be a major public health threat. By 1980, the WHO finally declared the world free of this deadly virus. Lessons From The Past But still, we remember fondly, the exploits of Balmis who sacrificed and endured great peril to start the Philippine smallpox campaign. Filipino Historian Jose Bantug writes that the introduction of vaccination in the Philippines “reads like an epic poem” worthy of pride and praise. The great Edward Jenner refers to the Balmis expedition as such: “I don’t imagine the annals of history furnish an example of philanthropy so noble, so extensive as this.” But more than a beautiful story, the Balmis expedition underlines the close link between Mexico and the Philippines, more specifically the children of both countries. Today, our world is threatened not just by deadly viruses but also by war, conflict and the spread of terrorism. It may serve us well to remember the courage and the legacy of Dr. Balmis and 25 Mexican children, whom two centuries ago, had spread a message of hope and peace for this part of the world. back to top |
